18 replies to this topic

[brooktrout]

My wife and I have kept a tropical freshwater planted aquarium for many years. Mostly tetras, catfish and a few live bearers.

As a fisherman, I have been fascinated by our native New York minnows. We're going to relocate our tropical tank which needs to be redone and replace it with a planted cool water native minnow aquarium. The new aquarium will be 75 gal with a Fluval 405 canister filter.

I am hoping to learn about keeping these little native gems from this forum.

I am wondering if there are other native aquarium keepers in Rochester NY

Jack

Edited by brooktrout, 02 December 2014 - 08:33 AM.

[NotCousteau]

That sounds like an awesome plan! Welcome to the forum and natives. What types of minnows are you planning on?

[FirstChAoS]

Aren't their laws against keeping minnows native to NY in NY?

[brooktrout]

The NY regs state that it is legal for fishermen like me to trap and keep minnows provided they are kept within the corridor they are caught in. Moving them outside the corridor is prohibited. There are also regs on netting and trapping them. Purchased minnows can be transported between corridors if certified and accompanied by documentation within two weeks of purchase.

I will purchase some from the local bait shop and will try to trap some. First need to learn to identify threatened or endangered minnows.

We live near many estuaries less than a few miles away. It will be interesting to see what lurks in the local water.

First minnows will likely be fatheads from the bait shop.

Yes, I do fish though not as much these days.

[Michael Wolfe]

I think I agree with your interpretation. I had always thought there was no way to keep native fish, but it looks liek if you stay hyper local, you may be OK.

http://www.dec.ny.go...door/47282.html

[brooktrout]

My goal is to stay within the regs. I don't want to do anything to reduce the population of scarce fish which is what I think the DEC has in mind. We have a big problem with invasive species which is also a problem to consider. There are fish I would love to keep like the rainbow darter (We read a great article about these in Amazonas) but that won't happen unless the regs change.

Our "corridor" is big, running from the lower Niagara R along Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence R. Much of the water has pollution problems and finding clean streams will be a challenge. I know some of the local streams have non bait minnows so have to be able to identify the minnows correctly. We live near an area that has streams, ponds and lots of marshes.

I'll have bait 24/7.

[gzeiger]

Be careful in estuaries - it's common for many fish you'll find there to require brackish water, and many will turn out to be juveniles of fully saltwater species. Sounds like you're doing your homework anyway, but I thought I'd share my experience.

Netting in local streams is the best part though.

[don212]

not much saltwater around rochester, i am a transplanted upstate new yorker, the new regs with all the corridors, and different categories of baitfish gave me a headache when my dad showed me this summer, good luck , get a good dip net,jonah's has a really nice one on this website, may seem expensive, but cheap ones are not as effective or rugged, and other collector models get real expensive.

[gzeiger]

Yes, the Perfect Dipnets are well worth the money.

[Josh Blaylock]

I think it's time for you to get to know Mike Lucas. The man is hardcore and travels all over to collect fish non-native to NY to keep.

[Matt DeLaVega]

Ditto. PM Mike. He is "Keepnatives" here on the forum.

http://forum.nanfa.o...20-keepnatives/

[scottefontay]

My goal is to stay within the regs. I don't want to do anything to reduce the population of scarce fish which is what I think the DEC has in mind. We have a big problem with invasive species which is also a problem to consider. There are fish I would love to keep like the rainbow darter (We read a great article about these in Amazonas) but that won't happen unless the regs change.

Hello, I am a fellow Rochestarian - Fairport specifically. The intent of the restriction that you speak of is to control the spread of VHS. That being said, there was and exemption for transporting overland and keeping native fish specifically for aquariums. Check out the link below. The second to last bullet just before "Definitions" gives us the green light.

http://www.dec.ny.go...door/33072.html

There are many places, with clean water, to catch fish in the Rochester area.

[Matt DeLaVega]

Is that it? There must be some other wording elsewhere that prohibits the keeping of native New York fish. Mike Lucas does his homework, and I will be surprised if he missed this Scott.

[scottefontay]

I remember going over this with Scott,the other NY rep back in 2009 or 2010. Pretty sure this is it. I have an ichtheologist buddy at the hatchery in Rome, I'll ping him tonight and dig a little more myself. The website is pretty explicit though...

[Matt DeLaVega]

Check with law enforcement as well to be safe. If you are right, this is good news for New York native enthusiasts.

Also keep in mind that it is not the job of a law enforcement officer to interpret the law. His job is to cite you and let you sort it out in the courts. So make sure you have a clear understanding, and possibly even keep a copy of the regulations with you so that you can make your case directly, and avoid wasting your time in court. I have found that if you present an officer/game warden with a friendly, knowlegable argument with a bit of proof that you have taken the time to look into the issue at hand, that they are usually very reasonable. Beats court any day.

[keepnatives]

I presented the officer that ticketed me with a copy of the regs you referred to but the issue was the fishing guide specifically says no animals native to ny may be kept. This has been the law for a long time just not brought out in the fishing guide. It has been on the books a long time under environmental/conservation regs. My argument was that if we could not why have the exception to the health permit for travel in the vhs laws. I did not get to court to press it there but sent in an explanation and copies of that particular law. I lost. Small fine. May get different responses other areas or other officials. But Environmental/Conservation laws do prohibit keeping any native animal as a pet. Interpretation of "pet" used loosely. If not for scientific study/purpose (need permit) or husbandry (need permit) it's a pet.

[keepnatives]

do a search for the topic "NYSDEC Proposed Fishing Reg changes- request for comments" here on the forum but also be aware there have been other changes as well since then such as travel corridors. But no change to the basis can't keep Environmental/Conservation law.

[scottefontay]

Mike, I think I may have found a solution, though requiring some bureaucracy....Propagation License?

http://www.dec.ny.go...mits/28633.html

[scottefontay]

Mike, I just noticed that you referenced the permit I was pointing to. The Propagation License permit could be defensible for myself or others such as you, but a hobbiest with a just a tank or two may not be.